Onesource gets lift from Crane

By ADAM GIFFORD

Building and electrical supplies distributor Crane Group New Zealand has signed a partnership with Onesource for the supply of all office technology, service and integration.

Crane companies include Mico Plumbing and Pipelines, Mico Metals, Cory's Electrical and MasterTrade, giving it more than 132 locations around the country.

Chief executive Karl Smith said Crane spends more than $2.5 million a year on office technology, but because of the way it grew by acquisition it did not have centralised disciplines.

"We are supply chain specialists in the trade area so we see this as a case of practising what we preach - we are already telling customers they can get all their building needs from us," Smith said.

He said Crane started looking for a new phone system for its Christchurch headquarters, and ended up getting the whole pitch from Onesource, which was formed when Eric Watson's Hanover group combined U-Bix Document Solutions and telecommunications specialist Cogent Communications.

He said the partnership could also allow Onesource to market to Crane's 16,000 trade customers, most of whom are one or two-person home businesses.

Onesource chief executive Elaine Ford said instead of each Crane office having its own supplier relationships for office technology purchasing, there would be a single phone call to make.

Crane will be given full visibility of Onesource product margins and service contracts will be negotiated with regard to the volume of business. Ford said Crane had indicated it had no firm desire to own office assets.

Onesource has annual revenues of about $120 million and employs 500 staff at 13 offices nationwide.